Monthly Archives: February 2012

The responsibility of raising kids can be overwhelming to say the least. Unfortunately they don’t come with instruction manuals, often making it feel like the blind are leading the blind – just hoping they turn out alright. We want to provide them with opportunities that we never had, and do our best to achieve those things for them…In any case; it’s not easy raising kids.

Growing up, the furniture my parents owned looked like something you would find in the discard pile at the Goodwill (or a college frat house). I received the hand-me-downs from my older brother (it was rare to get a pair without patches on the knees), as well as his old toys. All of this led me to ask “Dad, why can’t we have nice things?” He smiled, crouched down to my level, and explained that “as a boy, it was in my nature to be destructive.”

Bicycle adventures have always been one of my favorite pastimes. Gone are the days of my youth when I would hop on my bike to follow my older brother to his friend’s house – he would make a game out of it, weaving through uncharted neighborhoods in an attempt to lose me. It usually ended with a stream of tears rolling down my chubby cheeks, trying to find my way back home. Fortunately, I keep better company these days…

This weekend was a perfect time to discover new places in our new beloved city. With the sun shining bright, we mounted our bikes (God only knows how much I really want a tandem bicycle) and started the journey to wherever…

Years ago I had a summer job at a prestressed concrete factory. We built bridges, and exterior building panels on a daily basis. It was a stressful job because of the tight deadlines, and the hard labor that came with the territory. The employees there could have come straight out of the Wild West – the serious, tough, tobacco loving, don’t take no shit from no body type that you never want to cross. Verbal abuse was rampant, so if you weren’t a fast learner (fortunately I am) they made your life a living hell. Needless to say, the turnaround for summer workers ran fairly high.

People are not perfect – in some way or another we disappoint, and offend the people we love most. It’s one of the many human flaws we are unable to escape. Fortunately, we are able to forgive and be forgiven for our mistakes. When someone reaches out and asks for a second chance, you give it to them. It’s the courteous thing to do.

I received a phone call yesterday from Melissa at Organize.com in response to the bath pillow mishap. She wanted to personally apologize for the mistake, and right the wrong. I was given a refund for the purchase, and a voucher off my next order. They want me to give them a second chance, and I intend to do just that. Why? Because nobody is perfect…not even companies like Organize.com.

I am especially fond of adventures, whether it’s a trip across the world or a simple jaunt across town. Aimlessly walking around unknown parts of a city is a perfect time for discovery (it’s always a great idea to go with a friend). On these random journey’s, it’s fairly common to encounter men at bus stops who think it’s a great idea to shout pick-up lines at my girlfriend (while I’m holding her hand), creating an awkward situation. Fortunately this didn’t happen yesterday as we strolled up to the Queen Anne neighborhood in Seattle.

Halfway through our journey, Courtney abruptly stopped and burst into laughter. She is amused rather easily, so I had no idea what could possibly be making her laugh so hard…

There is was. A penis shaped pipe in a head shop window…oh how the simple things in life can be so amusing. I couldn’t help but laugh with her.